By the time I was prescribed Klonopin, I was going into my fifth year on prescription drugs.

During the five years, I was prescribed ten different drugs with numerous changes in how I was advised to take them as well as the dosages prescribed to me.

At one point, I was prescribed five different drugs at once which I took at various times during the day. 

In January of 2015, I once again changed my healthcare practioner to another highly rated psychiatrist. When I began seeing him, I was on two medications, Lithium and Abilify, which was considered my base medications.

As usual at my initial appointment, my wellness and past treatment history was discussed with my new healthcare practitioner.

I mentioned how I believed these medications, especially Abilify, was having a negative effect on my wellness both physically and mentally.

It was at this time, I openly omitted to him that I was an alcoholic and was sober since November of 2014.

His expert advice for my treatment plan was to keep my base medications, Lithium and Abilify, and add Klonopin (Clonazepam), a controlled substance, to the mix. 

My starting dose of Klonopin was a 1 mg pill which I was advised to cut in half.

My initial reaction on Klonopin was a positive one. I felt good on it. It gave me a high.

But within a short period of time, I began having breathing problems and was immediately taken off of Klonopin. I was never informed of an asthma warning. The fact was I used a prescribed albuterol inhaler for asthma symptoms for years.

Since Klonopin didn’t work, he started to approach my treatment like everyone else, a game of drug roulette. He changed my dosages, adding a thyroid drug, supplements, and valium to the mix.

Eventually he started to take himself out of the picture and randomly had me see someone else in his office.

All my hope for wellness at this point was pretty much non-existent.